Life is for the Alive My Dear
by IseeTHEfunnySIDE
Summary: What if Nellie Lovett had managed to drag Lucy's body into the oven before Sweeney Todd came down? Will Sweeney Todd be able to change his hateful and vengeful ways? This is a story about how I wanted to movie to end. Rated for future chapters. Swenett.
1. Rest Now My Friends

**Life is for the Alive My Dear**

Disclaimer: I do not own Sweeney Todd

_Chapter 1: Rest Now My Friends_

Nellie Lovett was looking frantically around the bake house for Toby. Sure, she was the one who locked him in there and went to fetch Mr. Todd, but she loved Toby like a son, and didn't want any harm to come to him. He was the only family she had left, because she knew deep down that Sweeney Todd could never give up his hopeless love for Lucy Barker. Just thinking her name made Nellie's body fill with rage and sorrow.

"Toby" she called out desperately. Suddenly she heard the chute from his barbershop open and a body hit the floor with a gentle thud. Her eyebrows scrunched in confusion, wondering who it could possibly be, because Beadle Bamford was already lying on the floor making a bloody mess.

She turned around and walked toward the body, and she froze. Fear swelled in every inch of her body. "You" she said quietly as she gazed down at the small, ratty body of Lucy Barker. She realized that she had to get rid of it or Sweeney would slit her throat for sure if he ever found out that he had killed his _precious_ Lucy.

Nellie swiftly ran to the oven and yanked open the door, then she went over to Lucy's body and grabbed her hands and started dragging her body toward the oven. She heaved her body up with all her strength and threw it into the blazing hot flames. Mrs. Lovett slammed the door and let out a sigh of relief as she leaned against it.

Only a few seconds later another body slid down and hit the concrete. Judge Turpin. She walked over and peered down at his crumpled form.

Suddenly his head snapped toward her, and he grabbed the end of her dress as he looked at her with pleading eyes. Begging her to help him, to try and save him. So she did the only thing that came to mind, she screamed.

OoOoOoOoOoOoOo

Sweeney Todd looked at his "friend" as he held it up in the moonlight. He watched with growing satisfaction as it glinted in the light, covered with the blood of Judge Turpin. _Finally,_ he thought _it's done._ "_Rest now my friend, rest now forever. Sleep now the untroubled sleep of the angels._"

There was suddenly a creaking sound coming from behind him, so he whipped his head around to see a boy, or so he thought, poking his head out of the chest where he had stashed David Collins' body but months ago.

He stood up, walked briskly toward it, and yanked it open. He looked down at the boy and said "come for a shave, have you lad?"

Johanna shook her head and muttered a small "no..I-"

She was cut off as he pulled her harshly from the chest by her arm and flung her into the barber chair. "Everyone needs a good shave."

He raised his arm in the air and was about to slit her throat when there was an extremely loud scream from below. _Mrs. Lovett_. He lowered his arm, bent down to Johanna's level, and pointed the razor at her "forget my face," he said quickly and sharply before he hurried down to the bake house.

OoOoOoOoOoOoOo

"DIE, GOD IN HEAVEN DIE!" Nellie screamed as she frantically tried to get her skirts out of the dying judges grasp. Finally, Judge Turpin fell quiet as his whole body went limp and Mrs. Lovett retrieved her dress from him.

She heard heavy footsteps coming down the stairs of the bake house, then the door slammed open and she looked to see an extremely bloody Sweeney Todd in the doorway.

"Why'd you scream?" He asked feeling rather irritated that he let that boy go when there didn't appear to be any danger.

"Oh, 'e was clutchin' onto me dress, but 'e's finished now." Nellie said while placing her hands on her hips. Sweeney grunted in response and she rolled her eyes "typical" she muttered under her breath.

Sweeney rolled up his sleeves, bent over, and grabbed onto the judge's arms. Once he had a firm hold on them he looked up at Mrs. Lovett. "Open the door" he said quietly.

She obliged and swiftly walked over and opened it, satisfied to see that Lucy Barker's body was nothing more than ashes. Sweeney hoisted the Judge's body and watched with pure satisfaction as he burned.

He then walked over to Beadle Bamford's body and pulled him to the oven and with a considerable amount more force managed to lift him into the fire as well.

"Ugh, all tha' blood" Nellie sighed looking over the messy floor of the bake house, not wanting the think about all the work she had to do in the morning.

"Mrs. Lovett" she heard Sweeney say, so she turned around and noticed a dark, contemplating look on his face.

"Yes Mr. Todd?" she asked extremely worried about the look on the barber's face.

"Where's the boy?" that one question made her heart skip a beat.

_tbc…_

**A/N: The next chapters will be longer, because I just wanted to make this first chapter be kind of an introduction. I will try to update tomorrow, I know it's early to ask this but I'm trying to think ahead in the story, do you thing that Nellie should feel guilty later on in the story for not telling him about Lucy? Comments are loved my friends!**


	2. Nothin's Gonna Harm You

**Life is for the Alive My Dear**

Disclaimer: I do not own Sweeney Todd.

_Chapter 2: Nothin's Gonna Harm You_

"Where's the boy?" Sweeney Todd said fingering his razor while looking around the bake house. He had to get rid of Toby, because the little rat would run to the law and it would be the gallows for both him and Mrs. Lovett.

"No, not Toby. 'E's a simple thing, 'e won't tell nobody." Nellie said quickly, trying to convince Sweeney to leave Toby alone. Truth is she didn't actually know whether or not Toby would want to keep such a horrible secret.

He stared at her for a long moment. There was something about the way her eyes pleaded for him to leave her Toby alive. A look that could only come from a mother who desperately cared about her child. It made his heart feel as if it was being constricted, but what emotion could be so powerful? Why in the hell did he care anyway, this daft woman was just begging to be arrested by trying to leave the boy alive. However, that look was just so powerful that it clouded his judgment. "We'll see," he said as he walked toward the sewers.

Mrs. Lovett felt her body swell with hope and relief. Hope that Toby was still here and that he wouldn't tell anybody, and relief that Sweeney might not kill him. If she played her cards right and got Toby to promise not to tell a soul then she might get to keep her little boy.

"_Toby, where are you love?"_ Nellie sang as she walked alongside Mr. Todd. _"Nothin's gonna harm you, not while I'm around….Nothin's gonna harm you darlin'….not while I'm around."_

They had just walked over a sewer grate when they heard a scraping sound and turned around. Mrs. Lovett looked down to see Toby poking his head out of the drain. "Toby!" she called out happily.

Toby practically flew out of the drain and into Nellie's waiting arms. "Mum!" He yelled joyfully as he hugged her tighter than he ever has before. "I won't tell a soul. I swear mum!" Toby sobbed into her shoulder.

Mrs. Lovett looked up to Mr. Todd with pleading eyes, "Mr. Todd…please" she whispered as tears brimmed her eyes.

"Fine" he growled out, then he stomped angrily up the stairs of the bake house toward his shop.

Nellie watched him stomp away like a child, "great stupid thing" she muttered still holding the crying Toby.

She pulled him away from her and looked at him. His face was smudged and dirty, and he reeked of sewage. "Now Toby dear, how 'bout we go an' get you cleaned up, hmm?" she cooed to him sensing that he was still frightened out of his mind.

"Alrigh', but mum, can I ask you a question?" Toby asked as he stopped crying.

"Wha' is it love?" Nellie asked as she gingerly combed out his ratty hair with her fingers.

Toby looked around uncomfortably before he spoke, "Why…um..why didn't Mr. Todd… ya know…kill me?"

_Ah, 'e is a smart one. I was 'oping 'e wouldn't figure out Mista Todd's true intentions._ Mrs. Lovett didn't have an answer for Toby, because that bloody man was harder to figure out than a rubiks cube. So she just answered with a simple "I dunno dear" and lead Toby up the stairs so that they both could get cleaned up.

OoOoOoOoOoOoOo

Damn that woman. Damn her straight to hell for making him spare that stupid boy. Damn her for making him second-guess himself. But most of all damn her for making him feel anything besides hate and disgust for the world.

Sweeney abruptly stopped pacing in front of his window and realized something that both shocked him and made his blood boil with rage. She made him feel. _She_, Nellie Lovett, made _him_, Sweeney Todd _**feel.**_ What. The. Hell.

What had he felt anyway? What was it that he felt as he stared down into her chesnutt eyes that were brimmed with tears as she held the sobbing boy, her _son_, in her arms.

Before he could allow himself to thing about feelings, another question popped into his mind. Why did he spare Toby's life? What in the world could have possibly possessed him to go against his own wishes and listen to those of his landlady? Maybe it was because he didn't want to take away the little sliver of happiness that Mrs. Lovett and Toby had together. _No! I did it because my mind was so jumbled from finally killing the judge and the beadle that my judgment was impaired. Yes that must be it. _Sweeney tried his hardest to convince himself that that was the only reason for his actions, but there was a tiny insignificant voice in the back of his head telling him that it was something far deeper and much more complicated.

He resumed his pacing once more with thoughts of Judge Turpin filling his mind. It was then that the words he thought mere minutes ago actually hit him. _It's done. It's over. Actually….over._ That meant everything he had lived for, everything he had waited for since he came back from Australia was done. He had done everything he needed to do.

He plopped down heavily into his still bloody chair and thought, _What's left for me now? I don't have a reason to live anymore._

OoOoOoOoOoOoOo

Nellie sighed as she sat in her chair next to a roaring fire with a cup of gin in her hand. She had finally gotten Toby cleaned up and into bed. It took a lot of persuasion and more than a few cups of gin. She was glad that he was asleep because it would give her a chance to think and come up with some good answers for his questions.

She couldn't even explain how happy she was that Sweeney had spared Toby. The boy was a good help, and she loved him a lot. Maybe someday Mr. Todd could learn to appreciate and maybe even love Toby too.

Mrs. Lovett was confused. Questions kept swirling in her mind. What was going to happen to them now? Would they go to the sea like she dreamed? Or would they stay here and continue to kill people and bake them into pies? All questions she had to get answered by Sweeney Todd.

Her thoughts drifted to the demon barber as she heard his heavy footsteps from upstairs. She knew the sound all too well, he was pacing in front of the window again, as usual. As she thought about Sweeney, she was wondering what could be troubling him now. He had his revenge on all the people who wronged him. Well maybe not _all_. She was still alive, but he didn't know about Lucy. Suddenly her body began to fill with grief and regret. She didn't know what to do, she had burned Lucy's body. Should she tell him, or should she keep it a secret for the rest of her life. _I don' think I could live with the fact tha' I lied to Mista T about somethin' so troublin' to 'im._

As these thoughts swam in her head, she wondered if she actually had lied to Mr. Todd. It was true that she did only tell him that Lucy poisoned herself, and never said she died. But is it lying if she knows he killed her and doesn't tell him. Well these things would have to be dealt with another day when Sweeney wasn't likely to slit her throat and throw her into the oven. Maybe she would try and melt his heart and have him warm up to her before she told him.

She sighed as her thoughts drifted back to Toby. _Ah, speakin' of Toby, I've got ta go an' thank Mista T for sparin' me boys life_. With that, she got up from her chair and walked out of the parlor towards Sweeney's shop.

_tbc..._

**A/N: yay! Another chapter. And sooner than I thought too! I just hope it's long enough. I'll update again soon. I love any ideas you guys have for this story. Know that they will be taken to heart. :D**


	3. Thank You Mr Todd

**Life is for the Alive My Dear**

Disclaimer: I do not own Sweeney Todd.

_Chapter 3: Thank You Mr. Todd_

Mrs. Lovett walked quietly up the stairs to Mr. Todd's shop. When she reached the door she knocked softly and waited for an answer, but she didn't receive one. Sighing she opened the door and shut it behind her. The only sound in the room was the faint jingling from the bell and her soft breathing.

When she saw Sweeney, he was sitting in his chair with his eyes closed and his eyebrows scrunched together. She wondered for a brief moment what he was thinking about before she walked up to him and put her hand on his shoulder. "Wha's troublin' you love?" She asked quietly, but received no sigh that he was even listening to her.

Nellie squatted down to his level and shook his shoulder gently. "C'mon, you can tell me, I'll listen to ya."

Sweeney opened his eyes slowly and stared at her, Nellie took her hand off of his shoulder and put it on top of his hand. She smiled a gentle but urging smile. She really wished he would just open up to her, that she could break through his walls of solitude.

When Sweeney finally spoke he didn't even realize it, the voice sounded so different so lost, alone and far away, "He's dead now Mrs. Lovett. I killed him."

Nellie looked at him confused, "I know love. But you should be 'appy. All you 'ave to do now is move on an' live your life." She was surprised to see that his eyes were actually focused on her instead of having a far away look in them.

"_No._" He said sharply as he stood up. Sweeney started pacing in front of the window again. _Damn woman. She doesn't understand_. He attempted to calm himself down before he spoke again. He took several deep breaths while he was still pacing and waited several long moments to talk. "You don't understand." He was thankful that he had managed to gain control over his voice, that he was cool on the outside even though he was boiling on the inside.

Nellie was surprised that he wasn't just ignoring her. _Maybe this is my chance to get him to open up._ "I would if you would jus' tell me." She said softly as she took a step toward him.

Sweeney let out a heavy sigh as he stopped pacing and faced Mrs. Lovett. He looked at her with a blank expression. Could he tell her? Could he possibly let Nellie Lovett know the things that have been haunting him since he got here? It wasn't a matter of trust, no he trusted Mrs. Lovett. He just didn't want to come to the realization that he didn't have a reason to live, because voicing his thoughts would make them real.

He turned back around and looked out the window at the dark streets of London. "Goodnight Mrs. Lovett." He said in a tone that suggested their "conversation" was over.

"Oh, um…I actually came up 'ere to say somethin' to you." Nellie said suddenly remembering her purpose for coming up here.

"What is it?" Sweeney said in monotone, suddenly showing no interest in her presence.

_Oh you know, jus' tha' you killed your wife, who you though' was a beggar, then I threw her into the oven b'fore you came down._ Mrs. Lovett just wanted to tell him the truth, because it was eating away at her, but she decided against it. "I jus' wanted to thank you for sparin' Toby's life." She walked up to him and placed her hand on his shoulder. "It means a lo' to me Mista T. I know you don' like 'im much, but 'e's like a son to me, and 'e's all I 'ave…well besides you I mean." She stood on her toes and put a light kiss on his cheek. "G'night Mr. Todd." Nellie turned around and walked silently out the door and down the stairs toward her shop.

Sweeney stood there in front of the window extremely confused. His face and shoulder were still warm from where she had made contact with him. He also felt…almost…warm and touched by her words.

He suddenly came to a startling realization. _That's it. That's why I kept Toby alive. I know what it's like to separated from your child, and I never want anyone to fell that pain again, not as long as I can do something about it._

He came to another realization at that moment. There was another reason he spared him. He cared about them. He actually cared about Mrs. Lovett, with her mindless chatter, and little Toby.

He felt very dizzy, so he sat in his chair and leaned back. Maybe Mrs. Lovett and Toby could be his reason for living. Maybe hope for Sweeney Todd wasn't lost after all, and maybe, just maybe he could learn to love again. Feeling very weary after a day of revenge and realizations, he trudged toward his bed and fell heavily onto it.

Only a few moments later he fell asleep with thoughts of his new reason for life swirling in his head.

OoOoOoOoOoOoOo

Nellie sighed as she sat in her parlor sipping a cup of gin. She knew she had a lot of work to do, with the blood on the floor of the bake house, and the blood covering Sweeney's shop. _I s'pose it can wait til' mornin'_. She knew she wouldn't get very much sleep tonight with thought of the barber still plaguing her mind.

Although he didn't tell her what was the matter with him, she was very happy that he actually spoke more than a few words to her. She just wished he would open up completely to her, and he would confess his undying love for her, and she, Sweeney, and Toby could go to the sea and escape this messy lifestyle of theirs. _Oh please Nellie, wake up and smell the meat pies. Sweeney Todd will never love you. All he ever thinks about is Lucy, Johanna, and the bloody judge._ When she thought this she had to wonder why she still loved him, even though he was so hung up on his dead wife. Tears pricked her eyes, but she refused to let them fall. _No, I won't give up hope. I know that deep down he's still somewhat the same man he was 15 years ago. I know that someday he can love me._

Sighing, Mrs. Lovett got up and went into her room. She changed into her nightgown and slipped into her bed. Thoughts of Sweeney were still spinning rapidly in her mind. She closed her eyes unaware that Sweeney was thinking about her too.

_tbc…_

**A/N: Ok, I'm really sorry. This chapter took me a while, because I was really confused as to where I wanted their relationship to go and when. I'm really sorry if he's coming to a realization too quickly, so I'll show it down a bit. Thanks.**


	4. AN

**Authors Note:**

**Hey everybody! **

**I know I haven't updated in a really long time….but I promise I have a good reason. My dad got rid of the internet, so I couldn't get on and update. We got it back yesterday, so now I can post updates! Sadly in that time I only got chapter 4 done and some of chapter 5, but I'll update as soon as I can….but I'm working on a harry potter story. lol. But unfortunately it's a reader insert, so I won't be able to post it on here. : (**


	5. Good Evening Mrs Lovett

**Life is for the Alive My Dear**

Disclaimer: I do not own Sweeney Todd

_Chapter 4: Good Evening Mrs. Lovett_

Nellie woke up feeling like she hadn't slept at all. She sighed as she turned her head and looked out the window. She groaned when she noticed the sun was already up. _Bloody 'ell, I'm late in getting me day started. I'll just keep the shop closed today. I've go' a lot of cleanin' to do anyway._

Mrs. Lovett slowly got out of bed and changed. When she got out of her room she noticed that it was extremely quiet. She walked down the hall to Toby's room and knocked on his door. "Toby dear, it's time to get up." She heard some shuffling and what seemed to be the rustling of clothes.

Nellie was about to walk away when Toby flung the open with a panicked look on his face, "I'm so sorry mum! I overslept, we've go' to open the shop soon!" Toby went running past Mrs. Lovett and into the shop.

Nellie laughed at the antics of Toby and walked after him so she could explain that she wasn't opining today. "Toby, calm down love. I'm not openin' today. Far too much work to be done. How 'bout, since it's such a nice day today, I give you a penny and you go and buy some toffees." Mrs. Lovett said as she pulled out her purse and handed him a penny.

Toby took it excitedly, "Thank you mum! Are you sure you don' need any 'help around here?"

"No, I'm sure dearie. You go and 'ave a day for yourself. Go the park and play with the other kids. Just be back before dark."

"Thank you!" Toby hugger her quickly, then he was out the door like a bullet. Nellie smiled as she watched him run away. _Toby is such a good 'elp, he deserves a day off._

Her thoughts drifted over toward the barber upstairs. She walked into the kitchen and made him some breakfast. She walked up the stairs to his shop and knocked lightly on the door. As expected he didn't give her an answer, so she went in and shut the door behind her.

Sweeney Todd was sleeping soundly in his bed with his back facing her. _He must e tired, after all he 'ad an awfully rough night. _She placed the tray on his dresser and rather loudly said, "Brought you some breakfast, dear."

He jolted upright and instantly reached for one of his razors. Nellie watched in mild amusement as the wild look in eyes died down when he realized it was her, "Good morning, love."

Sweeney mumbled something that resembled a 'good morning' as he got off his bed he walked over to the food, grabbed it, then sat in his barber chair and started eating.

"There's somethin' I've been meanin' to ask you Mr. T."

"What is it?"

Nellie crossed her arms over her chest and continued to stare at him, "Are you plannin' to keep slittin' throats or will you actually keep your customers alive?"

He stopped eating and looked at her, "We all deserve to die Mrs. Lovett, but it's like you said, we can pick and choose so we don't look suspicious."

Nellie's heart skipped a beat when she realized that he was listening to her that day at the park. "Alright tha' sounds good, besides now that Toby knows he can help me down in the bake house." She looked around at the room; the floor and chair were still covered in blood. She also noticed that Sweeney hadn't cleaned up. His face was still covered in blood, and he was wearing the same clothes as the night before, "Mr. T you're a mess; go an' clean yourself up in the washroom while I get this place cleaned up. There are some clean clothes in there already."

He nodded, stood up and set the tray on the dresser. When he was halfway out the door he muttered a small "thank you", then he disappeared down the stairs.

Nellie sighed as she picked up the tray and took it downstairs. She proceeded to gather cleaning supplies.

When she got back upstairs she inwardly groaned, realizing that the blood was dried on the floor, only making it that much harder to clean.

She scrubbed the entire room until it was completely clean. Nellie loved cleaning because it gave her a chance to scrub the shit out of everything, in turn relieving some of her stress.

She walked over to the dresser and lightly traced her hand over the razors. Mrs. Lovett noticed something that she had never seen before. Sweeney's picture of Lucy and Johanna was sitting face down on his dresser. She brushed it off and proceeded to go down into the bake house.

_Hours Later_

Mrs. Lovett wasn't sure how long she had been down in the bake house. She had cleaned up all of the blood and put all of the extra body parts that didn't go in the pies into the oven to burn. She looked around and noticed all of the bones and clothing from the victims. _What in the world are we goin' to do abou' all of these bones? No matta I'll ask Mista T abou' it later._

Nellie looked at her hands and noticed that she had some blood on them, and that she was sweating. She pulled a tub next to the oven and poured water into it so it could heat up.

After the tub was heated she stripped down and gave a loud sigh as she sank into the hot water. It was then that the full extent of her fatigue showed itself. She had been cleaning for hours on end, never stopping, and now her bones were ready to drop.

Her mind started to wander over to her business and Sweeney's business. _I wonder how long we're goin' to be doin' this. It's 'ard work choppin' those bodies up. I guess with Toby's help it won't be so bad, but I don' really want to subject him to that._

She then started to think about her "relationship: with Sweeney. _I've really go' to tell him about Lucy… but when? _She closed her eyes and began to wash her body and hair.

Suddenly her previous words popped into her mind.

'By the sea Mr. Todd that's the life I covet, by the sea Mr. Todd oh I know you'd love it. You and me Mr. T we could be alone, in a house where we'd almost own down by the sea.'

She shook her head and let out a bitter laugh. She told herself to just forget about Mr. Sweeney Todd. He would never love her, and even if he did he would surely leave when he found out about Lucy… or worse.

She stepped out the bath, grabbed a towel and dried herself off. As soon as she got dressed she walked up the stairs of the bake house and stood in her shop.

She noticed that it was already dark outside. Nellie walked to Toby's room and peeked through the door. He was sleeping soundly in his bed.

She closed his door quietly and sat in her chair, next to a roaring fire. It was so nice for her to be able to relax next to a fire... wait she didn't light a fire. She looked around the room and notice that Sweeney was sitting on the couch and staring at her.

"Good evening Mrs. Lovett."

**A/N: Took me long enough right? Sorry, but I lost my will to write this story a while ago. Now I'm working on a Dark Knight story. Anyway this whole story is going to undergo a huge makeover, because I really need to get this thing right. Sorry I took so long to update!**


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